The present invention relates to an electrical connector with detecting means which, in case that one or more terminals are incompletely inserted into terminal accommodating chamber in an connector housing, prevents the connector housing from being engaged with another connector housing.
In general, this kind of electrical connector comprises a male connector housing, a female connector housing for accommodating the male connector housing therein, and a terminal holder to be engaged in the male connector housing.
In operation of the general electrical connector, the terminal holder is firstly inserted into an insertion hole formed in the male connector housing. Then, the inserted terminal holder is temporarily fixed in the male connector housing by an engagement of a temporary engagement projection formed on the terminal holder with a temporary engagement part formed on the male connector housing. Next, under the temporary engagement condition, normally, a plurality of female terminals are inserted into terminal accommodating chambers formed in the male connector housing and secured therein. Thereafter, the terminal holder is further depressed and formally engaged in the male connector housing by an engagement of a formal engagement projection of the terminal holder with a formal engagement part of the male connector housing. Subsequently, the male connector housing is engaged with the female connector housing, whereby the female terminals in the male connector housing can be electrically connected with the male terminals inserted into the female connector housing, finally.
In the conventional connector, however, since the male connector housing includes a great number of terminal accommodating chambers into which the corresponding female terminals are to be inserted, there is a possibility that the female terminals completely and incompletely inserted into the terminal accommodating chambers exist together in the male connector housing. Then, due to a difficulty for a worker to distinguish respective conditions of the female terminals in the terminal accommodating chambers from the outside, if the terminal holder is depressed into the insertion hole by mistake, only one side of the terminal holder may be formally engaged in the male connector housing, depending on the position of the female terminal inserted imperfectly. Or again, the other side of the terminal holder may project from the insertion hole in spite that the terminal holder is accommodated in the insertion hole. Under such a condition, when the male connector housing is forcibly engaged with the female connector housing by mistake, the terminal holder is stuffed into the insertion hole by a hood projecting from the female connector housing, so that the male connector housing may be fitted into the female connector housing under an undesirable condition.